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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25379356">all was golden in the sky.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/romulus_adhara/pseuds/romulus_adhara'>romulus_adhara</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, College AU, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Kinda, M/M, hyuck is the sun confirmed by jeno's 298391 rants, i cannot stress this enough this is FLUFF, jaedo are also mentioned, johnmark are mentioned, renmin, this is just pure softenss i swear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:00:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,671</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25379356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/romulus_adhara/pseuds/romulus_adhara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"...He is an absolute beauty to behold, an angel among mortals that flew down from milky heaven to bless us with his loveliness and glory.”</p><p>“Dude.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Literally nobody asked.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>106</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>all was golden in the sky.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/irene_yongie/gifts">irene_yongie</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>**title from P!ATD - when the day met the night</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I remember the first time I saw him,” Jeno says, propping his chin and sighing wistfully. “It was December, near the finals, and it was pouring down, so I came in here to get a coffee and study a bit, but the second I saw him, I couldn’t focus on anything. He danced near the coffee machine like a graceful butterfly landing on the prettiest pink rose, but he was the butterfly and the rose at the same time. So graceful and fluid, his every movement like a gentle wave of the spring breeze. His smile shone through the clouds and storms and called to me like an alluring siren in the grey stormy ocean, sitting on sharp rocks and gracing everything around him with brushstrokes of elegance and dexterity. His eyes remind me of shiny glossy stars in the inky night sky, gleaming and glowing as warm beacons in the harsh reality of my puny existence. He moves like he dances, smooth and elegant, so charming and natural and <em>sexy</em>. Absolute beauty to behold, an angel among mortals that flew down from milky heaven to bless us with his loveliness and glory.”</p><p>“Dude.”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Literally nobody asked.”</p><p>Jeno blinks a few times and, not without difficulty, looks away from the boy behind the counter and at his companions, who are looking at him with an eerily same expression of bewilderment. Jeno sniffs and points at Jisung.</p><p>“<em>He</em> asked,” he says defensively. </p><p>“No,” Renjun contradicts with a slightly disgusted frown. “He asked how we found this coffee shop, nobody wanted to hear you fawn about the crush you’re too pussy to ask out.”</p><p>“Now, now,” Jaemin placates, putting a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Jeno is in love. It’s cute.”</p><p>“It’s kinda pathetic,” Mark murmurs with a sniff. </p><p>Jeno gasps at him, but he doesn’t have to defend himself since he has the honor of being best friends with simply the most perfect human being in existence. Next to Donghyuck, of course.</p><p>Jaemin gives Mark a cuff on the nape and looks at him sternly.</p><p>“<em>You</em>, dear sir, took seven months to even <em>talk</em> to your crush, so you’re not the one to complain here,” he reminds.</p><p>Mark goes bright red at an alarming speed and clears his throat. “Well, I’m dating him now, so joke’s on you.”</p><p>Jeno purses his lips, but he doesn’t have the heart to stay mad at Mark, because they’ve all been there during the rather sad crusade of Mark Lee trying to court his crush only for Johnny to snap out of it first and ask him out right in the middle of their English exam. Thankfully, their professor was a fan of young love, so he didn’t sack them, but they did have to retake an exam later. Jeno doesn’t think either of them cared. </p><p>Brendon Urie is waxing poetic about the moon falling in love with the sun through the speakers, which only reminds Jeno about the object of his affections, who is now smiling at a customer as she tries the coffee he’s made for her. Judging by both of their reactions, it’s perfect, which figures — everything Hyuck does is perfect. Jeno sighs dreamily.</p><p>“So let me get this straight,” Jisung starts.</p><p>“I’m not!” Renjun yells, quite obligatory, before high-fiving Jeno. This is their ritual, and in the wake of it, all grievances are forgotten.</p><p>“Sure,” Jisung sighs. “Anyway, you’ve been crushing on him since December. It’s now April. Have you even talked to him in these four months?”</p><p>Jeno stills, sucking in his lips.</p><p>“Oh no,” Mark speaks up. “He didn’t specify. It was December of <em>last </em>year.”</p><p>Jisung gapes. “So it’s been <em>sixteen</em> months?!”</p><p>“I’ve been busy with studies…” Jeno tries in a murmur, but it does nothing to remove the pity from Jisung’s eyes.</p><p>It’s now that Chenle finally comes back with their drinks, and Jaemin makes grabby hands for his atrocious order while Jeno politely spots his cocoa and gently turns the cup in his hands to find a drawing of a little sun peeking out from the clouds. He can’t help but break out in a huge smile, and as he looks up, he sees Donghyuck glance at him sneakily, a sunny smile hiding in the corners of his lips. Jeno’s heart swells, and he tips the cup to Hyuck, all while attempting a wink, but then a fleck of dust gets under his contact lens, and he yelps and starts blinking rapidly, dropping his cocoa and wiping his eye.</p><p>“Wow,” Chenle breathes out as he slides next to Jeno on the couch. “That’s worse than when you told him he was as hot as your drink while holding a Frappe.”</p><p>Jeno whines, both from pain in his eye and the cringe that overcomes him at the memory. By the time he clears the eye and looks to see if Donghyuck hates him yet, the boy is already busy with another customer. Jeno wants to smother himself.</p><p>“This is horrible,” he whines, dropping his head on the table and landing his forehead on the empty cupcake wrapper Jaemin has discarded there earlier. Serves Jeno right. He’s trash, and he belongs with the trash.</p><p>“You’re sad,” Jisung comments, but then, “This needs to be fixed.”</p><p>“How?” Jeno wails under his breath.</p><p>“It’s been over a year!” Jisung says heatedly. “It’s clear the barista likes him back.”</p><p>“He hates me,” Jeno whispers.</p><p>“If he did, he wouldn’t include your cocoa in the order when I forgot about it,” Chenle says nonchalantly.</p><p>Jeno shoots up. The wrapper is still stuck to his forehead, constricting his vision.</p><p>“Yup,” Chenle pops the <em>p </em>and licks the foam off of his straw. “He was concerned, too, thought you weren’t drinking anything today. I think he even added something to yours.”</p><p>Jeno discards the wrapper from his forehead before grabbing his drink. He tries not to gulp it too fast, but there’s no need to worry — it’s not too hot, quite the opposite — it’s of an amazing temperature, and as Jeno gets a taste of it, he realizes there’s vanilla and a bit of mint in it. His favorite.</p><p>He genuinely fears he’s about to die from how full his heart feels. Maybe he even tears up, but he hopes nobody notices, and if they do, he can rely on Jaemin to intimidate them into letting it go. </p><p>“Damn,” Jisung breathes out, watching Jeno melt into a puddle. “How come none of you helped him with it in all this time?”</p><p>“Hey, dude, we tried!” Mark argues. “But he’s even weaker than me. Donghyuck has been sending him signs all over the place, and he still can’t pick up on them.”</p><p>“Those weren’t signs!” Jeno repeats his defense for what must be the thousandth time. “He was just being friendly.”</p><p>“Excuse me,” Renjun scoffs. “<em>Jaemin </em>is friendly, but if he was acting like Hyuck does when you’re around, I would have cause for concern.”</p><p>Jaemin croons and snuggles up to Renjun to reassure him that he doesn’t have eyes for anyone aside from him, and all of them are instantly subjected to the disgustingly sweet PDA that Jeno did <em>not</em> sign up for. To his sorrow, the rest at the table don’t seem to share his distaste, seeing as Mark is happily hitched himself, Chenle has more than once proclaimed that he’s a strong independent bitch that doesn’t need no man and <em>meant </em>it, and Jisung is just a generally chill dude. He’s the newest addition to their merry gang of dancing gays, so he still has some things to learn about their dynamic.</p><p>For example, the fact that Jeno is pathetically in love with the barista of the on-campus coffee shop and nobody can do anything about it because he’s a disaster of a human being and Donghyuck is too much of an angel to even like someone like him. </p><p>“I can <em>hear </em>you thinking shit about yourself,” Jaemin says, sharply turning to him from where he was murmuring sweet nothings into Renjun’s ear.</p><p>The guy is omnipotent and horrifying. Jeno would die for him, but sometimes, he fears he will one day die <em>by </em>his hand.</p><p>“You know,” Mark starts too innocently for it not to instantly set Jeno’s nerves on fire. “Johnny said Hyuck has been talking about you to Doyoung.”</p><p>Several questions pop up in Jeno’s head at that, but he chooses the most urgent one.</p><p>“What was he saying?” He asks, leaning forward, not even caring that he’s being too obvious. They already know he’s a mess anyway.</p><p>Mark’s innocent smile turns smug, and Jeno really wants to send his cocoa on Mark’s hair, but then he remembers Donghyuck made it for him, and it’s way too precious to waste. </p><p>“Nothing too particular,” Mark starts. “But Doyoung is having boy troubles, and—”</p><p>“<em>Doyoung?</em>” Jeno screeches. “I’ll break their knees. What boy can be giving <em>Kim Doyoung </em>trouble?”</p><p>Mark arches an eyebrow at him. “<em>Jeong Jaehyun.</em>”</p><p>“Oh.” Jeno gasps. “Well. I can <em>gently </em>break his knees.”</p><p>“Isn’t Jaehyun dating Yuta?” Renjun perks up. “I saw them at a restaurant yesterday.”</p><p>“No, they’re just besties,” Jaemin clarifies. “They just like people assuming they’re together, so they just kinda never do anything to dispel the rumors.”</p><p>“That’s… kinda sexy of them,” Chenle notes, and all of them nod in agreement.</p><p>“So should we discuss <em>that</em> a little more?” Mark asks annoyed. “You’re fucking gossips, this is why we never get shit done.”</p><p>“Shh,” Jeno urges him. “Keep talking.”</p><p>“<em>As I was saying</em>,” Mark seethes, ever the attention-whore. “Doyoung has been complaining about Jaehyun giving him mixed signals, and Donghyuck told him about this boy <em>he’s</em> courting, who is also doing this, and they tried to draw parallels between Jaehyun and Hyuck’s boy’s behaviors to try and see a pattern.”</p><p>“Did they?” Jisung wonders.</p><p>“No, they just mainly started ranting about their respective crushes’ virtues,” Mark says wistfully.</p><p>“Okay, but all this proves is that Hyuck has a boy,” Jeno says, holding in a tragic sigh. “He’s taken.”</p><p>“Dumbass,” Jaemin chastises. “He was talking about <em>you</em>.”</p><p>“Was he?” Jeno asks, letting himself indulge in illusion and turning to Mark for confirmation.</p><p>“Doyoung wouldn’t say the name but Johnny insists it was about you,” Mark assures him with that air of superiority about him that he always has when he talks about Johnny. Disgusting.</p><p>“That’s… not reassuring.” Jeno pouts. “He likes someone, and it’s not me.”</p><p>“I’m going to scream,” Renjun whispers. Jaemin pats his shoulder.</p><p>Jeno twirls his cup and outlines the little cloud with his fingertip, imagining Hyuck drawing it, his face concentrated, maybe with his tongue peeking out a bit as he was lining the little smile the sun is sporting. It looks a lot like Hyuck’s smile but not as pretty.</p><p>“You know, it doesn’t matter,” Jeno mumbles without looking up. “I could never get a guy like that in a thousand years.”</p><p>“Nono…” Jaemin starts, but Jeno just brushes him off.</p><p>“It’s not about me thinking I’m bad or something, Nana, don’t worry,” he says with a sniff. The little sun is so pretty, so enticing, so warm and lovely to look at, and he thinks he can never get used to the warmth and grace of Donghyuck’s beauty. “I know I’m handsome and kinda smart, I’m funny and nice. Any guy would be lucky to have me, right? Well, he’s not just <em>any</em> guy. He’s <em>the</em> guy, you know? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to measure up.”</p><p>“Jeno…”</p><p>“Renjun, don’t, okay? I’ll just resort to pining from afar, and maybe, one day, I’ll be able to look at him and not feel all floaty and melting. It’s just… I just wish…”</p><p>“Jeno.”</p><p>“I just wish I could see him smile because <em>I’ve</em> made him smile. Can you imagine how thrilling it would feel? How special do you have to be to make the <em>sun</em> shine even brighter?”</p><p>“You seem special enough,” Donghyuck says softly from beside him.</p><p>Jeno screeches and jerks so sharply he squeezes the cup too hard, and it would end up on his lap if it wasn’t for Chenle’s amazing reaction speed. The boy expertly snatches the cocoa from Jeno’s hands and leaves the table to urge Donghyuck to sit down next to an openly staring Jeno. The table clears up in record speed, with Jaemin directing everyone to another corner of the shop.</p><p>“Hey,” Donghyuck whispers, his face way too close to Jeno’s for him to preserve normal human coordination skills.</p><p>“<em>Hello</em>,” he says tinily, trying to clear his throat. “How long have you been standing there?”</p><p>Hyuck pouts in thought and taps his chin with his index finger. Jeno wants to leave kisses all over both that chin and finger. He’s a mess.</p><p>“Since ‘<em>the</em> guy’ bit, I think,” Hyuck says with a chuckle before looking into Jeno’s eyes, his own so warm and bright and shining it takes Jeno’s breath away all over again. “But I also feel compelled to tell you that the audibility here is very nice. I heard your speech earlier.”</p><p>Jeno freezes, pure terror gripping his shaking heart. Oh holy shit.</p><p>He can desert the country, right? He has a cousin in Canada, he’s sure he can hole up there. Does deadly embarrassment count as solid grounds for political asylum?</p><p>“Your friend was right,” Hyuck murmurs with a frown. “<em>Nobody asked</em>, dude.”</p><p>A pained moan escapes Jeno, and he tries to cover his face with his palms, but before he can do that, a pair of soft hands catch his and hold them gently. Jeno stills even more, looking at the points of contact between their fingers. Hyuck’s hands are very delicate and pretty, and there are small calluses on them from handling the coffee machine. Jeno is sure they smell nice, too, but he thinks it would be <em>way</em> too creepy to try and find out right now.</p><p>Besides, he’s holding hands with Donghyuck.</p><p>Him. Lee Jeno. Holding hands. With Donghyuck.</p><p>
  <em>Oh wow.</em>
</p><p>“But it was nice,” Hyuck whispers, and Jeno has to reel his mind back in to try and recall the topic of the conversation.</p><p>
  <em>Holy shit he’s having a conversation with him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>While they’re holding hands.</em>
</p><p>“It’s always nice to hear someone think I’m…” Hyuck frowns a little, which is, hello, adorable as hell. “All those things you said.”</p><p>“People should tell you that every day,” Jeno whispers, finally finding his voice. “You’re all that, and so much more. I know I said a lot of shit about your beauty, but I swear it’s not all. Gosh, I wrote so many songs about you, and your humor, and your wit, and your amazing mind, and how you always have the right words to say when I’m upset or stressed, and how you’re just so <em>so </em>easy to like, because you’re—”</p><p>“Stop,” Hyuck begs rather sharply, and Jeno chokes on his next words.</p><p>He looks up, scared a great deal that Hyuck will definitely hate him now. His eyelashes, <em>his beautiful long eyelashes</em>, are wet, and <em>oh god oh my god jeno you’re a fucking disaster.</em></p><p>“Oh shit, I’m so so—”</p><p>Delicate fingers fly out of his hand and cover his lips, which prompts him to shut up very effectively. He sits there, his entire body on fire, and watches the boy he <em>likes so much</em> try to gather his thoughts. Hyuck’s eyes fly over Jeno’s face rapidly, like he’s trying to catch him in a lie, but Jeno is the most sincere he’s been in his entire life.</p><p>“You’re cute,” Donghyuck says finally, and Jeno most definitely does <em>not </em>squeal. </p><p>He does smile, though, his cheeks puffing up, seeing as Hyuck’s fingers are still on his lips. Wait, does that mean Jeno is technically kissing his fingers? <em>Dream fulfilled.</em></p><p>“So you like me?” Hyuck asks, which is, come on, a little pointless at this point. “You like me.”</p><p>Jeno nods enthusiastically, smiling even wider, and he’s so happy his eyes disappear, and Hyuck finds it so endearing he has to curve his fingers to cup Jeno’s jaw. His face is so open and warm and absolutely <em>lovely</em> that Jeno loses his breath for the umpteenth time since he met this sun personified. </p><p>“I like you,” Jeno whispers.</p><p>Which is a huge understatement, because he would roughly describe Donghyuck as <em>the love of his freaking life</em>, but he doesn’t want to scare him away too fast. If this is going where Jeno’s heart hopes it’s going, Hyuck will have more than enough opportunity to learn just <em>how</em> clingy and loveable Jeno is.</p><p>“I like you too,” Donghyuck whispers back, his pretty alluring eyes shining so bright.</p><p>Like the sun and the moon and the stars, all at the same time.</p><p>“Did you like your cocoa?” Hyuck asks, a playful smile gracing his lips. Jeno can’t look away.</p><p>“It was amazing,” Jeno murmurs. “And the drawing. That was— cute.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Donghyuck giggles. “Just like you.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>On the other end of the cafe, Renjun slaps his forehead so loud it reaches their table. Jeno takes a break in staring at the prettiest boy in existence to glare at Renjun, who doesn’t look too intimidated but still hides behind Jaemin. </p><p>“My friends think I’m pathetic,” Jeno mumbles, sniffing a little as he turns back around. </p><p>Hyuck’s fingers aren’t on his face anymore, but they’re <em>holding hands</em>, which is Lee Jeno’s biggest achievement. </p><p>“They’re not wrong,” Hyuck argues, clicking his tongue. “It took you a long time.”</p><p>“Hey! You’re no better off.”</p><p>“Na-ah, dude, I was trying to send you signals for months now, and it’s really not my fault your dumb ass can’t realize that I’m not asking to taste your <em>coffee</em>, I want to taste it on your lips, and every fucking time you order your freaking cocoa, I do one for myself and drink it imagining we’re sharing it, and you’re just so goddamn <em>annoying</em>…”</p><p>A whipped smile spreads over Jeno’s lips as he listens to Donghyuck’s frustrated rant, and in this moment, with this lovely boy by his side screeching at Jeno about wanting to kiss him, with his hand in Jeno’s, he thinks that it feels <em>incredibly </em>special to be this close to a sun and be the reason this sun is burning so brightly. And warm. So, so warm.</p><p>“Donghyuck?” Jeno whispers.</p><p>Despite his agitation, Hyuck hears him and shuts up, shaking his head inquiringly at Jeno, that adorable frowning line between his eyebrows back and even <em>more </em>adorable, if that’s possible.</p><p>“Your cocoa is very tasty,” Jeno says, barely containing his glee. “Want to taste it?”</p><p>A thousand emotions go over Hyuck’s face in a split second, all varying degrees of joy and a little bit of embarrassment. The tips of his ears are slightly rouged when he leans in and stops before Jeno’s face, his eyes boring into his as if he’s expecting Jeno to back off.</p><p>Jeno doesn’t. Jeno squeezes Hyuck’s hands even more. Jeno smiles. Donghyuck kisses him.</p><p>Like a sun emerging from the clouds, like the feeling of drinking a soothing cup of tea after a stormy day, like waking up on a day off and stretching under warm blankets, like coming home — that is how it feels to kiss Lee Donghyuck.</p><p>It’s small and chaste, just a promise of more to come, but it is still the loveliest and most thrilling thing to have happened to Jeno. Hyuck is trembling all over when Jeno puts his hands on his shoulders, and it grinds and shakes his insides — the knowledge that it’s <em>Jeno</em> who’s affecting him like this.</p><p>“Mint was a nice touch,” Hyuck whispers against his lips, pulling away a little. </p><p>His palm is wrapped around Jeno’s jaw, so he turns his head and kisses it, stopping for a moment to admire that he <em>can</em> and that he has <em>the honor </em>to.</p><p>Donghyuck’s eyes, when they are on Jeno, are akin to shiny glossy stars in the inky night sky, gleaming and glowing as warm beacons in the harsh reality of Jeno’s puny existence.</p><p>He really needs to update his vocabulary if he wants to keep waxing poetic about Donghyuck, and he definitely wants to, and he <em>will</em>, for as long as Hyuck lets him.</p><p>Cheering from the other side of the cafe filters in through the daze of <em>kissing Donghyuck holy hell you go Jeno</em>, and he swipes at them without turning around. Only a fool would look away with Donghyuck so smiley and shiny and <em>luminous</em> before them.</p><p>“My shift ends at three,” Donghyuck whispers, and they’re still close enough for it to resonate against Jeno’s lips, and it sends thrills of electricity down his neck and veins. “Pick me up?”</p><p>“Okay,” Jeno whispers back, unable to stop smiling. “Where do you want to go?”</p><p>“Anywhere without coffee,” Donghyuck snorts, and then, visibly regretfully, pulls away and stands up. “I have to work now, if I can get my thoughts straight, but you better not change your mind about this by the time I’m free.”</p><p>Jeno follows him up and tugs at his chin to leave another kiss on his plush lips, this time — deeper and even softer, like a vow.</p><p>“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmurs, noting with delight the way Donghyuck’s entire face flushes.</p><p>Hyuck leaves after a strained sound and another peck, and Jeno plumps back into his seat. It’s approximately fifteen seconds before he’s going to be ambushed by his friends, but for now, he props his chin with his palm and watches Hyuck dance behind the counter dreamily.</p><p>Jeno wouldn’t be able to dream about anything <em>but </em>him, anyway, but he doesn’t have to divulge all his secrets right away. All in due time. </p><p>It’s a clear and bright day, and the sun is impossibly bright outside, but it is nothing compared to a little sun inside, behind the counter, with a coffee grinder and Jeno’s heart right in the palm of his delicate gentle hand.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>happy birthday, sun. </p><p>and for those of you who are here from the nohyuck tag, hope you enjoyed it too :]</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/misfiten">twt</a> // <a href="https://curiouscat.me/romulusadhara">curiouscat</a> // <a href="https://onefortheroad.carrd.co/">carrd</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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